Current Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto of the Gerinda Party won the presidential elections in Indonesia with over 58 percent of the vote. Subianto defeated both Independent candidate Anies Baswedan and Indonesian Party of Struggle (PDI-P) candidate Ganjar Pranowo, who received approximately 26 and 17 percent of the vote, respectively.
Vice Presidential candidate and oldest son of outgoing President Joko Widodo, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, joined Subianto for a victory speech at the Istora Sports Stadium in the capital Jakarta. Subianto said that he “will serve as the president and vice president for all Indonesian people” and “will protect all citizens, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or social background.”
Subianto is a former Indonesian Army Kopassus special forces commander who led a unit in East Timor during Indonesia’s occupation. His unit is accused of conducting the 1983 Kraras massacres, where the troops under his command killed and imprisoned over 200 East Timorese men. He is the son-in-law of former Indonesian President Soeharto and one of the founders of the Gerinda Party. He unsuccessfully ran in both the 2009 and 2014 presidential elections but was defeated by former presidents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Widodo, respectively.
Widodo supported Subianto’s presidential campaign because he viewed him as a candidate who would continue his policies. However, it remains to be seen how long Subianto will continue to implement Widodo’s policies since both were former political rivals. It is likely that he will at least continue with them for the short term, given Indonesia’s strong economic outlook for 2024 due to Widodo’s economic policies.